


I'm Your Kingpin, Honey (And I'm Gettin' In Gear)

by rosesofbasilandclover



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bowling AU, Multi, Rey Kenobi, Reylo - Freeform, ben solo is an uncle, bowling, finnrose - Freeform, rey and rose were raised together
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:46:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21737803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesofbasilandclover/pseuds/rosesofbasilandclover
Summary: Rey works at the local bowling alley, "Score Tonight". It really isn't the best name, or the best job, if she's being honest. But still, it pays okay, and god knows she needs the money. One night, she runs into a strange customer, one who keeps coming up to her counter, asking her to come and help him fix the long list of problems he came up with. For some reason, she can't shake him - or his pretty eyes- from her mind.**Ben Solo is forced to go bowling by his colleagues. He thinks it's the most boring and useless waste of time. He could be filling out documents and writing reports back at the office. He turns around, and catches a glance at the pretty girl behind the counter. Maybe this won't be too bad.**OR,your ever-so-typical reylo bowling alley au.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Phasma, Finn & Rey & Rose Tico, Finn & Rey (Star Wars), Finn/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Poe Dameron & Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey & Rose Tico, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	1. bowling and nachos

**Author's Note:**

> Another Reylo AU! I'm so excited for TROS and my writing ideas are coming at me at the speed of light! I have some great ideas planned for the next few chapters of this and all my other stories, so just hang on!   
> Comments/Kudos are always appreciated, if you have any suggestions, those are appreciated as well! :)
> 
> Enjoy!

He could not believe he agreed to this. This was not the way Ben Solo was planning on spending his friday night. He could have been back at the office, getting more work done. He really didn't mind working late. Ben was up for a big promotion at work, and the way things worked at First Order Enterprises, let's just say it was beneficial for him to overwork himself to death.  
But no, he was not at work. He was at Score Tonight, the last place in the world he wanted to be. Just because he lost a bet against Gwen and Hux, they had quickly used it against him, and got him to come. He knew that they did not want to invite him for his company, but rather to embarrass him, which was not hard.  
He looked so out of place in his crisp black button up, black slacks and leather shoes - black to match. He stood out against all the colorful arcade games, the flashing strobe and ultra-violet lights, you could almost take pity on him. At least that's what Gwen Phasma and Armitage Hux said. 

They were snickering in a tight corner, waiting in line to buy their tickets and get their bowling shoes next to a very unimpressed Ben Solo. 

"Why the hell is this line so long! It's almost as if every single person in this stupid town decided to come to this shitty place at the same fucking time!" 

"Ben, calm down. There are small kids here, kids who have parents that might not like the fact that you are swearing all the time." advised Phasma. 

Ben turned around and locked eyes with a fuming mother, hands on her son's ears. She looked ready to kill him, and she might've, if a bright, British voice hadn't called out at him at the same time. 

"Next!" 

Ben silently muttered a half-hearted apology to the mother, turning on his heel and walking up to the counter. 

"Are you playing single, or do you have a team?" the girl at the counter asked. 

His breath hitched for a second, still processing the question. When he finally regained focus, he wondered why she asked him that. What a stupid question, Ben thought. He pointed in Gwen and Hux's direction to signal to the cashier that he was playing in a team game, but the two of them had unexpectedly vanished, leaving Ben to absolutely humiliate himself in front of the pretty girl.  
She giggled at his awkward gesture, but smiled compassionately when she spoke. 

"I didn't realize they were your friends, they ran away just as I called you guys up." 

"Figures." 

"So, a game for three then. I will just need your names and your shoe sizes." She spoke professionally, eyes glinting as she slid him a piece of paper with columns, one for shoe sizes, and the other for the names she would put up on the screen for them. 

He quickly filled out the form in his messy scrawl, which was only reserved for situations where he was unfocused, he usually had nicer writing - it came from his time writing in calligraphy when he was younger. 

"So which one are you? I'm assuming that your name is not Gwen, and Armitage really doesn't suit you." 

He lightly chuckled at her comment, the name Armitage really didn't suit anybody, but somehow, it suited Hux. 

"Your assumptions are correct", he replied, holding out his hand. "My name is Ben" 

She took it awkwardly and shook it, obviously she rarely introduced herself to customers. "Rey Kenobi." 

He glanced down at her nametag, gesturing towards it. 

"Ah, yes. Should've known." 

Rey flushed for a second, just long enough for him to catch a light pink blush on her freckled cheeks. She stammered her next sentences telling him how much he needed to pay for the game, flustered. When he was done paying, she regained just enough composure to give him the three pairs of shoes, and flash him a quick smile. 

"Enjoy your game, Ben." 

** 

A few customers later, when the line cleared, Rey still couldn't shake Ben from her mind. She knew that if she were to see him again, she would surely embarass herself in front of him. Thank goodness, she thought, that she would not have to see him again tonight. 

Boy was she wrong. 

She heard a light clearing of someone's throat and assumed it was Poe, her favourite co-worker. She swiveled around in the chair she was sitting in, only to be met with Ben's embarrassed expression. 

"I'm sorry Rey, but my shoes are the wrong size. I asked for size 10, but somehow, I got these size nines."

"Oh!" Rey replied, taking his shoes from him, exchanging them quickly. 

After she wished him a good game (again), she could've sworn that he wrote down size nine on the paper he gave her, so she looked for the paper. When she found it, she discovered that her suspicions were correct. But why would he have put the wrong number down, unless maybe he wanted to talk to her? He did call her by her name, and nobody did that before... 

Before she could think any further, Ben came back to the counter. So this really couldn't be a coincidence, she thought. Maybe this was his subtle way of flirting? She could always try to flirt back... 

"Another problem, Solo?" 

"Yeah, the gutter guards are up"

"Oh, yeah, that's just company policy. All the bowling alleys have gutter guards." She paused, biting her lip. "But I suppose, I could make an exception. For you."

He looked up at her, grinning. 

"That would be amazing!" 

Rey flashed a smile in his direction, and an uncommon idea popped into her head. 

"Hey Ben," she began, his eyes full of interest, "Poe over there makes the best possible nachos in this city. Maybe I could treat you to a plate of them?" 

When she finished her sentence, she was looking over at Poe's canteen, waving. In turn, Poe flashed a wink and a charming smirk in her direction. 

"Don't you think he would mind? I mean, I would love to, but seeing as he's your boyfriend and all..." Ben's voice trailed off, being replaced by Rey's giggling.

"Oh goodness no, he's not my boyfriend, he's more like a brother to me. Actually, I'm very much single." 

"Oh." Was all Ben had to say. Rey noticed this silence, wondering if she had spoken too soon. Her voice piped up, speaking much faster than usual, clearly nervous. 

"So, now that we cleared that up, would you like to join me for nachos after your game?"

His reply was almost too enthusiastic. He nodded his head, while grinning and repeating a chorus of yes's. 

She looked at him with mirrored excitement, winking. 

"It's a date." 

**

He saw her before she saw him. She was sitting at a table, scrolling aimlessly through her phone. She did not spare any comfort to the way she sat, legs slung over the armrest of her chair, feet dangling, her work skirt hiked far up her thighs. He walked up to the table and pulled out a chair, wincing at the amount of noise it made.  
She looked up at him and squealed. 

"Ben! You came!" 

He chuckled at her response. 

"Why wouldn't I? I did promise you, and I never break a promise. Now, where are those nachos?" 

Rey signaled over to Poe, who quickly warmed up a plate of nachos and delivered them to their table, making a very suggestive and inappropriate gesture at Rey when Ben's head was turned before leaving. The pair took no time to try their meal, both equally hungry. 

Rey was the first to speak, mouth full of food. 

"So Ben," she paused to swallow her food, "what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a Senior Manager at First Order Enterprises. I'm assuming this isn't all that you do?"

"No, this is just to get by. I'm a Library Science Major, set to graduate in June." 

"A student, huh. Remind me to come to your graduation." He joked. 

Her heart swelled at the thought of seeing him again, especially at such a personal event. Was he really serious? June was months away...

They chatted for a while, about anything and everything. Past relationships, their hobbies, and funny anecdotes. Neither of them brought up their families or personal lives, and neither of them minded. Their conversation came to a close when Poe started wiping down all the tables surrounding them, causing Rey to look at the clock. 

"Wow, it's closing time. I gotta get home, I have a long day tomorrow."

Ben knew it was time to act fast if he wanted to spend any more time together with her. 

"Hey Rey, wait up! I can walk you to your car, heaven knows how dangerous it is out there tonight."

"In the parking lot? Seriously Ben, I'll be fine." 

"Please Rey", he whispered, holding out his hand. "Let me do this." 

Ben Solo was many things, and persistent was one of them. She complied, taking his hand and pushing the big glass doors out of their way. They walked, hand in hand, all the way to her small car. 

"This is me," she started, not wanting to let go of his hand. 

"What are your work hours?" He blurted out. Ben really didn't have a filter. 

"I like how straightforward you are," she teased, "I work weekdays from five pm to ten pm, and full days on weekends."

"I'll be sure to come again." He smiled for the millionth time this evening, closing her car door behind her when she got in the car. 

He watched her as she drove off, waving at her. When he walked over to his car, he could've sworn that he had felt a slight skip in his step, he felt lighter than air that night. 

And it was all because of her.


	2. Uncle - Babysitter Ben

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Rey banter over a certain someone. Ben takes care of his goddaughter.

"So who's the hottie from last night?" Poe asked causally.  
For as long as Rey could remember, every time that she would even say more than a hello to a guy - or girl, Poe didn't judge - he would always pry Rey for information the next day. This only got worse as Poe matured, learning more and more inappropriate comments and innuendos every day. Rey could usually ward off his begging to know the details, and usually the really annoying conversations became avoidable.  
"How much coffee have you been drinking? Seriously Poe, you're way too hyper and I'm not telling you anything, no matter how hard you persist." Rey countered. After many different friends over the years that came and went through the orphanage she lived in, she learned that not everyone can keep a secret. Except for Poe, that is. One way or another, he somehow managed to get her to spill her guts whenever she really wanted to hide something from him.  
"Please Rey!"  
"No!"  
"Pretty please!"  
"I said no, Poe."  
"Pretty please with a cherry on top?" He whined, trying to annoy her to wits end.  
"Ugh, fine" Rey pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing deeply.  
"His name is Ben, he works as a Senior Manager for First Order Enterprises, -"  
"Senior Manger? He must be really rich... Maybe he owns a penthouse!" Poe swooned.  
"Poe, how many times have I told you not to interrupt me?" Rey scolded.  
Poe muttered a sorry in reply, encouraging Rey to continue her story.  
"He did mention living in Chandrilla, so maybe he does own a penthouse.  
Poe practically squealed with joy. Before he could plan out his best friend's future with this Ben, he had to know some crucial details.  
"What's his last name?"  
"Oh, it's a really uncommon name actually, it's Solo." Rey said calmly, although her mind was repeating the name in her head like a mantra.  
Rey Solo. Rey Solo. Rey Solo.  
Poe's eyes went wide. "Solo? Like Han Solo? The pilot?"  
"Maybe? We didn't talk about our families that much."  
"Oh my gosh! He's totally your soulmate. You guys have the real thing: shared trauma!"  
Rey rolled her eyes before reprimanding him again for his fangirling over her non-existent - although much desired - relationship with Ben Solo.  
"Honestly Poe, you watch way too much TV."

**  
"Our sales have gone up significantly in the last quarter, meaning that we have a significant lead over Resistance Corporations." Armitage Hux stated proudly, sneering at Ben.  
Ben just grumbled in response. If he hated anything more than boring business meetings, it was Armitage Hux. Although just a Junior Manager, he would always consider himself higher than everyone on the team. And now Ben had to deal with both at the same time. Thankfully, his prayers were answered when his phone buzzed mid-meeting.  
Finn  
Hey bro where r u? Rose has an emergency at work & I have an important meeting to go to... Can u watch Paige 4 us? Call us please!!!!!!"  
Ben shot out of his chair, quickly making a break for the door of the conference room.  
"Solo, where do you think you're going?"  
"Sorry Hux, family emergency!" was his faint reply.  
Ben was suddenly very grateful for the fact that he volunteered to be available anytime for Paige, breathing in the fresh air the minute he stepped out of the building.  
After a call to Finn saying that he would be right there, and another one to Snoke saying that he will take a personal day, he sped off in his car to Finn and Rose's house.  
The minute the front door opened, he was tackled by Paige's six-year-old body. Her giggly voice pierced the air.  
"Uncle Ben!"  
He got up just fast enough to see Finn's dishevelled form run out of the doorway.  
"Thanks Ben, you're the best!" he called over his shoulder, nearly tripping over his untied shoelaces.  
Ben simply smirked, then turned to face Paige.  
"What we doing today Uncle Ben?" she asked, her eyes wide with excitement.  
"What would you like to do today Paige?" he asked.  
"Bowling?"  
Ben smiled with mirth at the prospect of seeing Rey again. One thing was for sure though.  
He absolutely adored his goddaughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Up next, Ben takes Paige bowling, and reconnects with Rey.


	3. A Visitor and a Delivery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben loses his wallet while bowling with Paige. Luckily, a certain someone spots it.

Rey was bored. Plain and simple bored.

Sure, her job was not the most exciting, and sure, she could've found a way to pass the time, but for some reason she refused to move from her spot in the staff room. 

She was sitting at the small lunch table, a scrap piece of paper and a pencil in front of her. She was doodling. Doodling what, you may ask. As childish as it seemed, and Rey knew it was childish, her mind was only focused on the memory of her and Ben. 

So, since there was nothing to do and her mind was filled with thoughts of him, the small ballot of paper soon became filled with various little drawings and words. Well, not just words. Names. 

Ben Solo. Ben Solo and Rey Kenobi. Ben Solo + Rey Kenobi, circled in a heart. Rey Solo. Rey + Ben Solo, surrounded by hearts of various sizes. 

Maybe it was a bit overkill, the reasonable part of her brain intervened. Rey chose to ignore it and continue. Soon after, the paper was so covered in ink that she could not decipher the letters and drawings on the tiny paper sheet. 

Maybe she should stop. 

Maybe she was obsessed. After all, she barely knew him. 

But maybe, her heart reasoned, maybe this is a good thing. And Rey rarely had good things happen to her. So she chose once again to ignore her inner thoughts. 

Poe ruined her focus by sliding through the door of the staff room. He was working the main entrance so that she could take her lunch break and would only come to get her if there was a real problem, such as an overload of costumers, which only really happened during the school breaks. 

Rey instantly slammed her hand down on the paper, scrunching up any evidence of her insanity along with it. She threw it to the side, directly into the garbage can, and turned her attention to Poe. 

"Rey-Rey, you'll never guess who is at the front!" He practically squealed. Suddenly, noticing her curious expression, his face fell, and he looked almost queasy. 

"Oh Rey, I'm suddenly not feeling so well... Maybe you should go ring up the customer." 

Rey rolled her eyes at Poe's terrible acting. Something was definitely up. She shrugged at Poe, who was currently dramatically stretched over the lunch table, and exited the staff room to make her way to the counter. Her face broke into a wide smile as soon as she saw who was standing there. 

She made a mental note to thank Poe later. That sneaky bastard. 

Ben Solo waved at her. As she got closer to him, she noticed that he was holding the hand of a younger child, a girl. Her heart dropped. 

He never said anything about having a daughter. She could tell that she was beginning to get jealous, but she could not understand why. If he had a daughter, good for him, right?

"Hey Ben!" Rey cooed and forced a smile. "Back for more bowling? And I see you brought your daughter, how adorable!" 

"Oh, uh, she's not... um, she's not my daughter." Ben stammered, surprised by her deduction. Him? A father? "She's my goddaughter." 

Rey's heart leapt of relief. 

The little girl introduced herself. 

"Hi miss! I'm Paige! This is my Uncle Ben!" 

Rey grinned at the young girl. She liked her already. 

"Hi Paige! It's really nice to meet you! My name is Rey. I already know your uncle we met before. But it's really nice to meet you!"

Rey barely looked at Paige while she spoke of her uncle. She looked up at Ben with flushed cheeks, and was only met with his stare and a warm grin. She did not know how long she was staring into his eyes until the voice of the girl broke the silence. 

"Rey, are you and uncle Ben gonna get married?" 

Rey and Ben both gasped and stepped away from each other, sputtering random words to try and veer off of topic. 

"So guys, let's get the two of you bowling!" Rey said, perhaps too enthusiastically. 

Paige cheered when Ben pulled out his wallet. He quickly paid for two games and started putting his card away, when Paige grew impatient and practically yanked his arm and dragged him to the lanes. Rey just chuckled at the two of them. She concluded that despite Ben's overall disposition of a very introverted and shy person, he was really great with kids. 

***

When Rey and Poe closed for the day, hours after Ben and Paige left the bowling alley, she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. It was a wallet, one the looked vaguely familiar. She picked it up and inspected it, only to have a small ID card slip out. Next to the face that she grew so fond of in the past few days, was some vital information. 

Ben Solo, 30  
2187 Millennium Drive 

She knew it was important for him to get it back, but she did not know how. At that exact moment, Poe decided to sneak a peek at what she was holding over her shoulder. He gasped, quite overdramatically. 

"Could it be? Pretty boy's ID? Oh Rey-Rey, you gotta give it to him!" he swooned. 

"Poe, I hardly think it's appropriate-"

"Hush Rey-Rey, don't listen to yourself. Besides, you should learn to take my advice more often. I did help you when you saw him today, admit it!" 

Rey just sighed, looking over the glossy card in her hand again. 

"I guess it's not the worst idea..." 

***

This was a bad idea. What the hell was she doing? She was currently parked in front of Ben's house, and freaking out. Would he resent her for coming over? Maybe she should've left the wallet in the lost and found at the bowling alley. Then, at least she wouldn't seem like a stalker. She never should have listened to Poe. God, she was stupid. 

As she moved her hand closer to the ignition, ready to drive away, her hand stilled. Her thoughts came back to her, and fore once she did not ignore the voice inside her head. 

Just do it. You will regret it if you don't. 

She opened the door to her car and walked up to his front door, holding his wallet in a death-grip. She sucked in a deep breath as she rang the doorbell. When he opened the door, she saw his eyes widen. She glanced at his body, he was dressed in his pajamas, clearly ready for sleep. And now she disturbed him! God, why could she never do anything right?

"Rey? What are you doing here?" 

"Hey Ben, sorry to intrude. You left your wallet at the bowling alley and I thought you might want it back, but I can see that I've disturbed you, and maybe I should have left it at my work, that way you could pick it up and- God, you must think I'm a stalker, I promise I'm not, I just-"

Ben cut off her rambling by covering her hand with his. 

"Rey, don't worry about it, honestly. I appreciate you coming by. Would you like to come in? I should thank you for coming all this way." 

Rey rushed her next words, shocked by his outward display of friendliness. 

"No thank you, I really have to be going now, sorry for bothering you Ben. Have a good night!" 

She was out the door and peeling away from his driveway by the time he got the words out. 

"Good night, Rey." 

He watched her car until it disappeared from his view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poe and Paige ship it. Enough said.


End file.
